Etihad Airways’ maiden flight between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv will be on April 6, the airline said Monday. It will offer twice-weekly service on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the United Arab Emirates’ second-largest flag carrier said.
The route between the two cities was originally scheduled to start on March 28.
Israel has strictly limited travel in and out of Ben-Gurion Airport since mid-January due to fears of the spread of coronavirus and possible mutations.
Flying to, from and via Abu Dhabi is supported by the airline’s fully redesigned sanitization and safety program, Etihad Wellness, to ensure the highest standards of hygiene at every stage of the customer journey, the company said in a press release. All passengers traveling with Etihad will also receive complimentary COVID-19 insurance, which was recently extended until September 30, it said.
The launch of the new route is part of the fruit of the normalization agreement between the UAE and Israel that has seen the burgeoning of security, trade and political ties, including the opening of travel. Several airlines already offer flights to Dubai, the largest city in the UAE, which is about a 90-minute drive from Abu Dhabi.
Emirates, the largest Emirati airline, was also expected to commence flights to Tel Aviv in February before the airport closures began. Currently, there are no direct flights allowed between Israel and the UAE.
In October, Etihad launched a new Hebrew-language website for Israeli customers seeking to visit the UAE. It also landed its first plane in Israel with a special flight bringing a trade mission of tourism industry leaders, corporate decision-makers, travel agents, cargo agents and media representatives.